Pleopeltis michauxiana (Weath.)Hickey & Sprunt

RESURRECTION FERN

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This taxon occurs in the Bahamas and Mexico and has been advocated to be raised to the rank of species, which is supported by recent studies (Sprunt 2010; Sprunt et al. 2011). The FNA treatment suggested this taxon grades into P. polypodioides var. polypodioides, however the work by Sprunt does not support this. When this dessication tolerant plant dries, its scaly abaxial surface is exposed. The scales aid in both slowing dehydration and facilitating water absorption (John & Hasenstein 2017). Experiments with other taxa in the P. polypodioides complex showed plants losing about 75% of their water content over 5 days (via dessication by calcium chloride) and then rehydrating to normal levels (Starnecker & Winkler 1982). Another likely protective mechanism found in this genus during drought is poikilochlorophylly, the controlled inactivation of photosynthetic mechanisms to prevent excess absorption of sunlight energy (Voytena et al. 2014).

Native FAC (NWPL)